The present invention relates to overhead console assemblies mounted on an interior roof (ceiling) within a vehicle compartment of an automobile and the like.
Overhead console assemblies are conventionally provided for wagon type vehicles in which the interior roof of the vehicle compartment is formed higher. These overhead console assemblies are equipped with a retractable storage member for stowing various small articles at a front part of the interior roof.
At a front part of the interior roof or at an upper center of the front window, there is provided a rear view mirror for viewing the area behind the vehicle. Rear view mirror is usually positioned to enable the driver to view the rear of the vehicle, and this makes is impossible for the driver to also view the rear seats in the vehicle compartment simultaneously.
For this reason, installation of a mirror has been considered such that the driver can view the rear seats from the driver seat. However, the installation of the mirror only for viewing the rear seats requires a further installation space and ends in impaired space efficiency. In view of this, several considerations have been made to mount a mirror on an overhead console assembly.
For example, Registered Utility Model No. 2590842 (Paragraphs [0008] to [0018] and FIGS. 1 to 5) discloses a conventional overhead console assembly to which is mounted a mirror. FIG. 7 shows the conventional overhead console assembly, in which (a) is a front view and (b) is a sectional view taken along the line b—b of (a). This overhead console assembly 50 includes a storage space 51 (at one side of the vehicle compartment) positioned above the driver seat (not shown) and a lid member 52 for covering the storage space 51, and opening the lid member 52 to pull out a console box 53 makes the console box 53 available for use. Further, opening the lid member 52 makes a mirror 54 which is attached to the reverse side of the lid member 52 dangle from the rear edge 53a of the console box 53, so that the mirror 54 is available for use.
This type of conventional overhead console assembly 50, however, adopts a structure in which the mirror 54 is dangled from the rear edge 53a of the console box 53, and this structure, when the driver is going to view the rear seats in the mirror 54, requires the driver to perform complicated operations such as tilting and adjusting the mirror 54 by hand.
With the foregoing drawback of the prior art in view, the present invention seeks to provide an overhead console assembly which employs a mirror to view the rear seats and which does not require any complicated operations.